A federal judge on Monday cleared the way for the release of the special counsel's report into President-elect Trump's election interference case.
In a ruling Monday, Judge Eileen Cannon approved the release of the first of two volumes on Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation. Cannon will consider publishing a second volume on Friday about its handling of President Trump's classified documents.
Smith dropped his investigation into Trump after the president-elect secured his return to the White House in November.
Cannon last week temporarily blocked the release of Smith's report after claims by Trump's co-defendants. Waltine Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira filed an emergency motion to block the imminent release of Smith's final report.
Judge grants Jack Smith's request for dismissal in January. Six charges against Trump dismissed in Florida docket lawsuit
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Mr. Cannon took into account the claims of Mr. Nauta and Mr. de Oliveira and prohibited the publication of the report.
Cannon said Smith was “temporarily prohibited” from “publishing, sharing, or transmitting the final report or any draft thereof outside the Department of Justice.”
President Trump's former co-defendants ask judge to block Special Counsel Jack Smith's report
But she ultimately ruled against the pair on Monday, arguing there were “sufficient grounds” to grant an injunction against the release of the report.
Federal Judge Eileen Cannon. (US court) (US court)
It is customary for the special prosecutor to issue a final report detailing the findings of the investigation and the decision to prosecute or not prosecute. In Smith's case, the prosecutor's decision doesn't matter, given Trump's status as president-elect and the Justice Department's longstanding policy. oppose criminal charges against the incumbent president.
Judge grants Jack Smith's request for dismissal in January. Six charges against Trump dismissed in Florida docket lawsuit
President Trump denounced Smith's study as a “false report.”
Special Counsel Jack Smith recently asked that charges against President Trump alleging interference in the certification of the 2020 election be dropped. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Attorney General Merrick Garland chose to release reports from two other special counsel whose investigations were completed during his term, and an investigation into the origins of the case was conducted by then-Attorney General Bill Barr in 2019. John Durham, who was nominated to do so, chose to publish both summary reports. The final report from former U.S. attorney Robert Hur, commissioned in 2023 to investigate the Trump-Russia investigation and President Biden's handling of classified documents.
FOX News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
